Sankranti return rush chokes Vijayawada–Hyderabad highway
Vijayawada: With the conclusion of the Sankranti festival, massive traffic congestion was witnessed on the national highway connecting Vijayawada and Hyderabad as thousands of people began their return journey to Telangana on Saturday. The highway experienced heavy traffic pressure as people from erstwhile districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, and NTR districts headed back to Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana.
Long queues of vehicles were seen stretching from Gollapudi to Ibrahimpatnam, causing severe inconvenience to commuters. Heavy rush was also reported at key toll plazas, including Pottipadu toll near Gannavaram, Keesara near Nandigama, and Chillakallu near Jaggaiahpet, where vehicles were made to wait for hours.
To ease congestion within Vijayawada city, police officials opened the Vijayawada West Bypass and diverted vehicular traffic. However, despite these measures, traffic movement remained slow, with scores of cars, buses, and heavy vehicles stranded on the National Highway for hours. Adding to the problem, heavy traffic congestion was also witnessed on the Vijayawada West Bypass at Pamulakalva, where the bridge across the Vijayawada–Vissannapet road is yet to be started. The incomplete bridge created a major bottleneck, forcing vehicles to slow down significantly and resulting in long queues on both sides of the bypass.
Traffic police and highway officials were seen making efforts to regulate vehicle movement and clear congestion at the affected stretch. However, due to the continuous inflow of vehicles returning after the Sankranti holidays, traffic remained heavy for most of the day.
Police personnel and highway authorities were deployed at several points to regulate traffic and clear bottlenecks. However, travellers bound for Hyderabad and other destinations in Telangana faced considerable hardship as the volume of vehicles far exceeded road capacity. NTR district additional DCP G Ramakrishna personally supervised and regulated traffic at the Ibrahimpatnam Ring Road junction to ease congestion and restore smooth flow.
Officials said that although educational institutions and government offices are scheduled to reopen on January 19 after the Sankranti holidays, many people had started their journey a day in advance to avoid Sunday congestion. Ironically, heavy traffic was witnessed even on Saturday, indicating the scale of the return rush.
Vehicle queues were particularly long at toll plazas, further slowing traffic flow on the national highway. Authorities have advised commuters to plan travel during off-peak hours and follow traffic advisories to avoid inconvenience. The traffic situation is expected to remain tense over the next two days as the festive exodus continues.
